Carlos Jorge

Executive Chef, Zuma New York, New York, NY
Culinary Arts, 2001

Carlos Jorge earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and spent several years in that profession. “Right around the completion of my undergraduate degree I realized that the one thing I was passionate about was not what I’d studied.” The Brooklyn native, whose family is originally from Puerto Rico, was catering on the side when he decided to attend ICE. After working at Brasserie 44 at the Royalton Hotel, Asia de Cuba, Mercer Kitchen, and Butter in New York City and Herbsaint in New Orleans, he then left for South Beach to work at the Raleigh with famed hotelier André Balasz. During his four years at the hotel, he spent considerable time working closely with chef Eric Ripert, who was the consulting chef on the project. He has since made a specialty of opening large resorts; in 2006, he opened the Resort at Singer Island, in Palm Beach County, FL. He was the executive chef of the St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kaua’i, Hawaii before taking on The W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Before long, Carlos became the Executive Chef for Starr Restaurants, where he oversaw all culinary operations for 500+ room hotels. Currently, he is the Executive Chef at Zuma New York—the acclaimed international Japanese restaurant's 9th location. His advice to current students? “Get into this business because this is what moves and motivates you every single day.”